Omega Fishmeal and Oil Pvt Ltd. is the first site from the Indian Oil Sardine FIP (Goa and Maharashtra) that has been accepted onto MarinTrust Improver Programme. This follows a demonstration of compliance to the MarinTrust standard via an audit of the production site by a third-party Certification Body (CB).

The Indian Oil Sardine FIP (Goa and Maharashtra) fishery was accepted into the Improver Programme in October 2019 as the first accepted Fishery Improvement project (FIP) in Asia under the MarinTrust Improver Programme. This FIP is currently led by Omega in collaboration with national and local stakeholders.

A production site wishing to use the MarinTrust Improver Programme claim must pass a MarinTrust audit for that site. Once a production site is accepted into the MarinTrust Improver Programme, information on the site is listed on the MarinTrust website. The site must then continue to comply with the MarinTrust audit requirements annually. The FIP they are sourcing from must also demonstrate continual improvements in line with their Fishery Action Plan (FAP).

The MarinTrust Improver Programme follows precise criteria and scoring systems in line with the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, focusing on stock status,  resource management strategy, control and monitoring at sea and at unloading points, impact on protected species and the environment, and governance that meets the needs of the fishery and allows all industry stakeholders to participate.

“This key advancement will develop better management of the fisheries and enable producers of marine ingredients to demonstrate their commitment towards responsibly sourced raw materials,” explained Nicola Clark, Impacts manager at MarinTrust.